April 1, 2015 (Jamul) – The Jamul Indian tribe today made a surprise announcement, revealing that it has abandoned plans to build a Hollywood-themed Casino and instead reached an agreement with the National Football League (NFL) and Chargers to build a new sports stadium on its six-acre Jamul Indian Village site.

The team will play its nine home games at the state-of-the-art stadium equipped with deluxe sky boxes and adjacent high-rollers lounge, plus seating for 79,000 fans.

Since the stadium will be on tribal land, there won’t be a problem betting on games. In fact slot machines and gaming tables will be installed throughout the stadium including in the parking lot, where each parking space will be equipped with its own slot machine for ‘tailgate party gambling.’ Inside, each stadium seat will be equipped with “place your bet” buttons.

View a presentation on the Gillespie Field Sports Village concept by clicking here.

Tune in Friday to our radio show at 5 p.m. on KNSJ 89.1 FM to hear our interview with Robert Germann, proponent of the Gillespie Field Sports Village.

By Miriam Raftery

February 26, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) – Imagine a new Chargers stadium and sports entertainment complex next to Gillespie Field on vacant land formerly occupied by the El Cajon Speedway. Sounds far-fetched? The 250-acre site is surrounded by four major freeways and a trolley stop close by. Approximately 180 acres are currently vacant—and none of this land has been used for aviation.

Chargers fans’ future is in limbo, with the team threatening to move to Los Angeles County and share a stadium with the Raiders. The team wants a new stadium, but thus far San Diego county and city leaders have not come up with a solid plan for an alternative location and environmental contamination prevents rebuilding on the existing Qualcomm stadium site.

December 11, 2014 (Denver) -- This could very well be the matchup of two of the best teams in the American Football Conference. This will be the first time these two division rivals square up in the postseason.

January 1, 2014 (San Diego) -- The bolts are in! The Chargers will have an opportunity to compete for the Super Bowl this year as the cards remarkably fell in their favor last weekend. The playoff picture was stacked with six teams vying for four seats in the American Football League (AFC).

With losses in the morning by Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins, the Chargers only needed to win against the Kansas City Chiefs to secure the sixth seat. The Chiefs had already secured the AMC fifth seat and benched some starters, however it was a close game.

September 9, 2013 (San Diego) -- Charger season is once again upon us, with the opening game tonight at 7:20 PST. The buzz in the air is different than it normally is in San Diego; instead of lofty goals of the Super Bowl, fans seem to just be looking to avoid a historically bad year. Considering the Chargers haven’t made a playoff appearance since 2009, you can’t blame the pessimistic views of the Chargers’ faithful coming into the 2013 campaign.

The Bolts have had their fair share of unfortunate off-season events, including the losses of linebacker Melvin Ingram and receiver Danario Alexander to injuries that will sideline them both for the season.

May 2, 2012 (San Diego’s East County) –East County and San Diego leaders reacted with shock and sadness to news that former Chargers star Junior Seau, 43, was found dead at his Oceanside home today of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A former resident of Mt. Helix and supporter of local charities, Seau also frequently visited the Junior Seau Sports Complex at La Mesita Park in La Mesa that was named in his honor.

“He was always here for us,” La Mesa Art Madrid said, La Mesa Today reported. “He was part of the family in this town.”

March 8, 2012 -- (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

April 1, 2010 (Santee) – The San Diego Chargers have received an offer from the City of Santee to construct a new Chargers stadium in the East County community.

“This will be a win-win for the Chargers and East County,” said Santee Mayor Randy Voepel, wearing a sporty bolts blazer. With the upcoming completion of Highway 52, Santee will be easily accessible from all parts of San Diego. Having an NFL team in Santee will not only be good for Charger fans, but will also boost revenues for our city.”

January 17, 2009 (San Diego) — Pacific Sportswear & Emblem Company has created a line of Chargers hats, t-Shirts and silicone “charity” wristbands with the “BELIEVE” message to keep sports fans’ spirit alive in San Diego.

A percentage of the sale of each “BELIEVE” item will benefit the Copley Family YMCA, which primarily serves children, teens and families in the low income community of City Heights.

Need for food in East County cities rises sharply

November 7, 2009 (San Diego) -- The San Diego Chargers and Metropolitan Transit Service are partnering to run a series of food drives starting Nov. 10 and ending with a game day food drive at the Chargers vs. Philadelphia game at Qualcomm Stadium Nov. 15. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 10 MTS will host “Stuff the Bus Food Drives” at select Vons supermarket parking lots, where the public will be invited to stuff an MTS bus full of food to feed hungry San Diegans over the holiday season.

From January to June, the amount of food distributed by San Diego Food Bank to the needy doubled and tripled across the county. The number of meals distributed by the Food Bank in San Diego alone increased from 1.6 million to 2.4 million. In Lemon Grove, food distributed skyrocketed by 144%. Spring Valley food distribution shot up 80%, while La Mesa and El Cajon rose 31% and 32%.

November 4, 2009 (La Mesa) - Gio Bistro in La Mesa invites the public to watch the Chargers vs. Giants game on Sunday, November 8 from 12:30 to 4:30 and join a three-day breast cancer walking team. The event includes game viewing on big screen TV, food, live auction of items including sports memorabilia, football pool, kids'games and prizes, karaoke music, and specialty drinks including the "Chargerita."